In conventional turbine engine combustor assemblies, the combustor is formed to have a wall defining a combustion space, and it is also typical of such assemblies to have a combustor case spaced outwardly of the wall so as to define an air flow passage therebetween. This air flow passage comprises the space between the combustor case and wall which is conventionally in communication with a compressor whereby compressed air is delivered to the air flow passage. With this construction, the compressed air is delivered to the combustion space through one or more openings in the wall defining the combustion space to provide air for combustion with fuel from an injector to drive the turbine engine.
While suitable for many applications, this type of arrangement has a number of disadvantages including the fact that the double-walled construction naturally adds weight to the overall assembly. This can be detrimental or at least undesirable for many, if not most, applications including those involving auxiliary power units and other power units typically associated with aircraft or other airborne vehicles. In addition to such problems as the foregoing, it is known to be a problem to avoid too great of volume and pressure drops in the design of conventional combustor assemblies.
As a result, design efforts in connection With turbine engine combustor assemblies are typically driven by a focus on avoiding such problems. These design efforts have almost always been directed to minor modifications of conventional combustor construction involving modification of relative size parameters, the positioning and location of dilution air inlets and fuel injectors, and variations in other parameters without departing from the basic conceptual combustor arrangement. However, it has remained to provide an entirely satisfactory turbine engine combustor assembly having all of the requisite characteristics.
In addition to such considerations, it has also remained to provide a turbine engine combustor assembly of significantly reduced expense.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the foregoing problems and achieving one or more of the resulting objectives.